Sorry, we are unable to supply content for this web page, either
because the Internet security on your browser is set to high, or
because you have disabled Javascript. For information on how to change
these settings in your browser, please see the Help page

Stanford alumni, parents, and friends are invited to aLecture by Stanford faculty member Dr. Didi Kuo onPolarization & Parties: The State of American Democracyfollowed by a discussion with expert commentators

No charge, but please register now because seating capacity is limited. If there are no openings and you wish to be placed on a waiting list, please contact Michael Borish, JD '77 at michaelborish@gmail.com

Dr. Kuo will address the following paradox at the heart of American politics: while polarization has been on the rise for decades, trust in parties has declined. Citizens with party attachments are unwilling to compromise across party lines, yet more and more voters refuse to identify with either party. This talk will examine how parties lost the faith of voters while also creating a polarized political climate, as well as the consequences of these trends, including policy gridlock and an untenable “us-versus-them” rhetoric in politics.

Event Activities

Other Details

Dr. Didi Kuo is the Research Scholar & Program Manager for the Program on American Democracy in Comparative Perspective at Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, part of Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. She has a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard, and master’s degrees in economics and social history from Oxford and in politics from the University of Exeter. Her book, Clientelism, Capitalism, and Democracy, is soon to be published by Cambridge University Press.

Our expert commentators

Dr. Rick Valelly earned his BA at Swarthmore and his Ph.D. in political science at Harvard. He is Claude C. Smith '14 Professor of Political Science at Swarthmore and has published scholarly articles on American politics in multiple edited volumes and peer-reviewed journals. His 2004 book, The Two Reconstructions: The Struggle for Black Enfranchisement, received numerous awards.

Dr. John C. Pollock earned his BA at Swarthmore and his Ph.D. in political science at Stanford. He is Professor, Dept. of Communication Studies, and Faculty Affiliate, Dept. of Public Health, at The College of New Jersey. Dr. Pollock has spent over two decades advancing community structure theory and exploring the impact of society on media, focusing on health communication and human rights issues. He has authored Tilted Mirrors: Media Alignment with Political and Social Change – A Community Structure Approach (2007) and edited Journalism and Human Rights: How Demographics Drive Media Coverage (2015).

Please refer to directions to Swarthmore College and the campus map - the Science Center is #48 and the DuPont Parking Lot is #20 on the map. Click "Control Plus Sign" to zoom into the map and "Control Minus sign" to zoom out.

From I-476 (Blue Route), take Exit 2 (Media/Swarthmore) and stay in the right lane on Baltimore Pike eastbound, and in less than 1/4 mile turn right onto PA Route 320 South. At the next traffic light turn right to stay on Route 320/Chester Road. At the next traffic light turn right onto College Avenue. From College Avenue, turn right onto Cedar Lane at the stone “Swarthmore College” sign. At the next stop sign turn left onto Elm Avenue. Go one block and turn left at the North Entrance to the campus, Whittier Place. The DuPont parking lot will be on your right, past some small houses.

Public transportation: The campus of Swarthmore College is adjacent to the Swarthmore Regional Rail station on the Media-Elwyn Line